This invention relates to a seal and method for a watertight connection in a water service and, more particularly, to a seal and method for a watertight compression joint in a water service between the valve or fitting and the flared end of copper tubing used in an underground water service system. Several underground water service joints connections are required in a typical water service installation for all residential and commercial buildings in a municipality. A water service installation requires the skilled efforts of a knowledgeable contractor to furnish the labor, material, accessories and equipment necessary to construct a workmanlike underground water service. The work includes excavation, trenching and furnishing and laying of water pipe with its joint connections and other products according to a municipality's building codes and specification. As soon as the waterline and its joint connections are completed and prior to the backfill of the trench, all water joint connections are tested in place by water under city pressure to detect any defects or leaks. If any defects or leaks are discovered the contractor is responsible to make necessary repairs at his expense. Afterwards, backfilling is commenced as soon as the waterline and its connections have been measured and accepted by the city engineer and a certificate given for the water service installation. The contractor must avoid disturbing existing utilities and protect adjacent public and private property while making the water service connections. In short, this is a very labor intensive and expensive work to properly install an underground water service.
Generally, in a typical underground water service connected to a city water main, a type “K” soft copper tubing is used for the water pipe, and therefore, all joint connections in such a water system are generally flared tubing and valves forming the compression joints. All copper tubing that is typically laid in the trench from a Corporation Stop to a Curb Stop, is laid as a single piece without joints between these two Stops. So the Corporation Stop includes generally a tapered AWWA/CC inlet threads which is also referred to as C.C. threads, C.S. threads or Mueller threads that screw into the female threads in a service saddle attached to a city water main. The Corporation Stop further includes a straight threaded male outlet with a bull nose end that mates to one female flared end of the copper tubing with a flare nut that secures onto the threaded male portion of the outlet bull nose end to compress the joint there between. The copper tubing, which is generally 2″ or less in diameter for a municipal water service extends in one piece within the water service trench to a male inlet with a bull nose for the Curb Stop. The Curb Stop male inlet includes straight AWWA threads for a female flare nut at the other end of the one piece copper tubing ending in a female flared end to mate with the bull nose of the curb inlet when the flare nut is tightened onto the inlet threads to form the compression joint. The male outlet of the Curb Stop similar to the above mentioned inlet joint also forms a compression joint with copper tubing extending from the Curb Stop to an intermediate Service Fitting or to an entrance value in the building receiving the water service. The Service Fitting or Union Joint intermediate the Curb Stop and the building receiving the water service may also have a male inlet and outlet with a bull nose end on each to mate with the female flared end of the copper tubing forming a compression joint with the Service Fitting or Union Joint. The number of Service Fittings or Union Joints is dependent upon the distance between the Curb Stop and the building receiving the underground water service.
All products that are connected to a public water system must meet American National Standards Institute (ANSI)/National Sanitation Foundation (NSF) and International Standards, as appropriate. The aforementioned copper tubing for the water pipe that is usually the Type “K” copper tubing for all underground water services, is 2 inches or smaller. The joints for the copper services usually require copper tubing flared at its ends connected between brass valves or fittings to form the compression joints. Valves or fittings suitable to meet most city building codes for compression joints are typically manufactured by such companies as Mueller, Ford or McDonald and are made from lead-free brass castings. Such a brass valve like the Corporation Stop includes American Water Works Association Standard Thread/Corporation Cock (AWWA/CC), in which this thread has a steeper taper on the inlet versus the Male National Straight Pipe Threads on its outlet forming the compression joint with the flared end of the copper tubing.
However, the connections between the various brass valves or fittings and copper tubing are also a major source of leaks for contractors that usually develop after installation by vibration and earth settlement or movement in and around the trench in which the contractor lays the water service components. Even the backfilling process itself or future road restorations or heavy vehicle traffic can set up vibrations or earth moment around these connections that may result in a future water leak within the contractor's warranty period for the work. Sometimes under testing conditions with city engineers before the backfill process, small leaks in the system are detected causing a contractor to snub down the flare nuts further on the threads of the valve or fitting by over tightening to stop the minor water leak with a wrench causing the brass body of the valve or fitting to internally or externally distort or crack resulting once again in future leaks in the underground water service system.
Therefore, contractors not only need to be skilled in their trade and use the aforementioned high quality manufactured products for these connections but any means or method that makes these compression joints between components in the underground water service system more resistant to minor water leaks during installation or to subsequent leaks after installation from vibrations and the like is a most desirable improvement to the installed water service system. Any improvement against vibration or other causes of compression joint leaks after the installation of the water service system will greatly reduce contractor's overhead and subsequent service calls to repair leaks at their expense and thus save the contractor from possibly losing money on water service jobs.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a vibration resistant and watertight sealing method for compression joints in a water service system having an improved watertight sealing means between the water pipe and the valves or fittings.
It is a another object of the invention to provide a watertight, vibration resistant sealing system for compression joints in a water service that is inexpensive, yet highly resistant to most types of vibrations and earth movements around the service fittings and waterline tubing.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a seal and method for watertight compression joints in a water service system that avoids over tightening flare nuts on valves or fittings yet form a watertight seal resistant to loosing through vibration or earth movements around the compression joints in the system.
Yet another object of the invention to provide a seal and method for watertight compression joints in a water service system which includes an annular sealing means on the male member of the valve or fitting and a friction means on the threads of the male member of a valve or fitting to sealingly engage the compression joint components in a watertight seal and to frictionally engage a flare nut on the male member of the valve or fitting to prevent future leaks due to vibration or earth movements in and around the water service joints wherein the flare nut loosens and backs off the male member.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a seal and method for forming watertight compression joints in a water service system which includes a rectangular shaped O-ring on the male end of a valve or fitting to sealingly engage the female mating surface of the water pipe tubing to prevent installation and future water leaks in the system.
It is yet another object of the invention to provide a watertight compression joint in an underground water system between a valve or fitting and its tubing in which a sealing O-ring and a frictional material on the male portion of the valve or fitting mates with the tubing and a flare nut in a sealingly and frictionally engaging manner, respectively, to prevent installation and subsequent water leaks due to vibration or earth settlement around the water service compression joints or fittings to prevent over tightening with a wrench on the flare nut resulting in concealed damage to other components in the waterline system leading to future water leaks.